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Azerbaijani FM: Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad to be built in 2012

Azerbaijani and Georgian Foreign Ministers are satisfied with progress of the project of constructing Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, Azerbaijani and Georgian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Grigol Vashadze said at a joint press conference in Tbilisi today.

"This project will be completed on time. The course of its implementation does not cause concern," Mammadyarov stressed.

"We will launch the 'Baku-Tbilisi-Kars' railway in 2012", he said.

Vashadze noted that a number of economic issues, including the railway construction, were discussed at the ministerial meeting. "We considered the whole range of our economic relations," he said.

A new 105-kilometer railroad branch will be constructed as a part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway. About 76 kilometers will stretch via Turkey, 29 kilometers through Georgia. Moreover, an Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Marabda railway section will be reconstructed in Georgia to increase transport capacity up to 15 million tons of cargo a year. A point of train transition from the existing train tracks in Georgia to the European one is planned to be built in Akhalkalaki.

The constriction will be completed in the first half of 2012, Azerbaijani Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov said earlier. He said despite the previously agreed terms of the implementation of the project, the sides are working to accelerate the process and complete most of the work by late 2011.

The peak capacity of the corridor will hit 17 million tons. Initially, the figure will hit 1 million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.